Darkness Within, Zistopia Style
by goofnutgav
Summary: In war, we do things we never forget and lose parts of yourself...as for me, my war is now in the city of Zootopia where the monsters that cause suffering will learn that you can't escape justice. This isn't vengeance because it's an emotional response...no, not vengeance, punishment. One batch, two batch, penny and dime.
1. Chapter 1

Savanna Central, Zootopia, Illinois, 2015.

Zootopia, a city where it is known that on the outside people live in harmony but on the inside, predators and humans are living cruel lives by suffering from a shock collar called TAME where they are forced to wear one daily since they had turned six years old. Not only that, but they also had to deal with racist prey animals who either beat them, activate the TAME collars to laugh at their suffering, or have them arrested so that they would undergo a horrific procedure if the crime is high enough.

The police were no better since most of them were corrupt and sadistic psychopaths who enjoyed the hell they'd unleash on the predators and humans every day, but there was one human who had lost everything and is killing criminals and corrupt businessmen to get revenge on the people who took everything from him.

It had all started one night when corrupt ZPD officers were meeting with Gnucci mobsters at a bar to discuss the problem with how to deal with an unknown group killing criminals and mafiosos, just as they all took their seats and the Gnucci Lieutenant tapped his wine glass with a spoon to get everyone's attention.

"Ciao, I'm glad we have all gathered together on this night to discuss a few things that have come to our attention. Our business has been suffering due to the actions of an unknown group that has been massacring our organization's enforcers and other dealers with high military precision," the Gnucci Lieutenant announced and gestured for one of the dirty cops to speak.

"Thank you, Mr. Rossi. I've been making sure a few Detectives on the take are keeping this situation quiet until the killers are found and brought to Lady Gnucci to be punished severely. All we know is that the killers are highly trained and armed with military weaponry that is able to pierce ceramic plating in kevlar vests. What we also know is that the killers are only targeting criminals and mafiosos so we're looking at a team of vigilantes that are ruthless and highly skilled," the dirty cop explained and Rossi nodded.

"Exactly...these Bastardos are trying to destroy everything that we built and Ma Gnucci wants them brought to her personally. Once these killers are brought to Lady Gnucci, we will teach them what happens when you go after the Gnucci crime family!" Rossi declared arrogantly after he stood up with a smirk and everyone at the table started cheering.

Suddenly, rapid gunfire broke out and the front windows of the bar shattered as large-caliber rounds struck Rossi and killed him on impact, causing everyone else to make noises of complete panic and alarm as they all stood up and took out their guns to fire back at the unknown shooters that were firing in short controlled bursts outside. One dirty cop was shot in the neck and he gurgled as blood came out, forcing him to drop his gun while he sat back down and hopelessly grabbed his throat to stop the bleeding as the others in the room were getting hit multiple times.

While the shootout raged on, every single mafioso and dirty cop was killed in the attempt to defend themselves and the gunfire stopped once the last man collapsed to the floor with a lifeless expression on his face, then there was complete silence as the bartender peeked his head up to see if it was safe and his eyes widened in horror at the sight of a complete massacre with bodies laying on the floor and blood splattered on the walls.

The bartender heard the sound of a truck speeding away as he stepped out from behind the bar and looked around in shock while he headed to the nearby phone and called the police to report what he'd witnessed, then he felt agony as he looked down and clutched at the bullet wound that was on his side while he spoke to the police.

* * *

An hour later, the entire bar was cordoned off by police as homicide detectives were busy looking around the scene and trying to figure out what happened.

"Fucking hell...every time I think we've seen it all in this shithole of a city, it still manages to sneak up and kick me right in the balls. Jesus, it's going to take us weeks to process this shit and where is this asshole's hoof?" a detective wondered as he looked down at a dead ram who was missing a hoof.

Outside, uniformed officers were keeping people back as a black Crown Vic pulled up to the scene and the driver got out to reveal that it was a gray rabbit in a police uniform and a trench coat, the rabbit having a hardened expression on her face as she approached a cape buffalo who was wearing a police chief uniform and chatting to a CSI officer.

"Chief Bogo," the rabbit greeted and Bogo looked at her.

"Sergeant Judy Hopps," Bogo acknowledged in a British accent as they ducked under the yellow police tape and headed to the crime scene.

"What are we looking at?" Judy inquired as they entered the bar and she looked at the massacre in disgust.

"The MO is the same as all the others, the killers opened fire from across the street and took out the victims with almost military precision but they got sloppy," Bogo explained and Hopps looked at him curiously.

"Oh, how so?" Judy asked as she knelt down and saw that the kevlar vest on the dead ram was hit straight through to the back by three large-caliber rounds.

"They left a survivor this time...Sergeant, I don't need to tell you that some of the victims are fellow cops so keep the press out of this because the last thing we need is this situation spiraling out of control," Bogo instructed and Judy nodded.

"Understood...look at this, our victim was hit with three large-caliber rounds of some kind that punched through the polyester ceramic plating and exited out the back, which means that our killers have access to some serious military-grade hardware. Christ, what the hell are we dealing with and how are they getting this kind of firepower?" Judy wondered as she stood up.

"It's unknown at this time and the DA's office is going completely mental trying to figure out all of this, but they are assuming that the killers are members of an unknown paramilitary-type organization that is just surfacing to make a statement with the training, knowledge, and weaponry to take out half the city," Bogo informed her and Judy sighed.

"Great, just what this city needs, a group of wannabe soldier nutcases running around with military-grade firepower and causing chaos all over the city. Is there any motive or some clue as to what they want?" Judy questioned and Bogo shook his head.

"That's the thing that has the DA completely puzzled since there have been no demands of any kind and we still have no idea who the killers are, but we know what they're not," Bogo stated.

"How so?" Judy asked.

"I'd say that they're not fond of the Gnucci Crime Family and cops," Bogo remarked dryly.

"What about the survivor? Did he say anything that could give us any lead to the killers' identities?" Judy asked and Bogo shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no since he was hit in the crossfire and had to be taken to the hospital for surgery. Sergeant, one of the victims was a Gnucci Lieutenant so Ma Gnucci and her sons are going to be on the warpath unless we can find the killers and put them away, otherwise, blood will run through the streets because the Gnuccis do not tolerate their members getting killed by someone," Bogo warned grimly and Judy nodded.

"Yes sir, I'll go ask around town and see if anyone might know something," Judy said and she headed to her car to leave the crime scene.

After that, Judy went to locate a human gun runner by the name of Turk Barrett and found him about to sell guns to three other humans when she whistled to get their attention.

"Oh, shit..." Turk trailed off and the other three humans went for their guns but Judy used a remote to activate their TAME collars and they convulsed as they collapsed and fell unconscious.

"Hello, Turk," Judy greeted with a mocking grin as she approached Turk.

"Crap...listen, this isn't what it looks like so, please, don't use that thing on me," Turk begged as the green light on his collar turned yellow and he was forced to calm down by taking a few deep breaths.

"I don't give a shit about what you're doing right now because I want you to answer a few questions for me. A bunch of Gnuccis and cops were murdered tonight and you are the one person who keeps his eyes and ears open about what goes on in this city," Judy stated and Turk scoffed.

"A bunch of cops got killed? That's a damn shame 'cause I'm fresh out of sympathy cards," Turk huffed and Judy shoved him face-first against the car they were standing next to and pinned him with one arm against his neck and his hand behind his back.

"Those cops had families so shut your fucking mouth before I knock out a few teeth. The killers that are responsible are highly trained and armed with military-grade hardware, enough that they could take out half the city if they wanted to. Who's the one that supplied them, Turk?" Judy growled as she kept him pinned.

"You think I know? Shit like that is so high above my paygrade-" Turk groaned and let out a noise of pain when Judy put more pressure on his arm.

"Wrong answer, so quit lying to me or you'll be forced to jerk off with your other hand," Judy threatened menacingly.

"I'm telling you the truth, Sergeant, because that tin in my trunk couldn't go through body armor! Look, I did hear something from a guy in prison where the Cartel's been getting involved into some messed up shit lately so maybe they're the ones who are responsible. I heard that they're bringing up some heavy munitions from Juarez, military-grade," Turk whimpered.

"Where?" Judy demanded.

"They're at a warehouse in a fish packing district on 13th Street and something, I swear that's all I know," Turk clarified and he yelped in pain as Judy let him go and cuffed him to the door handle.

"Listen, Sergeant, I gave you what you wanted and now my hand's busted, so how about you let a brother go, huh? Come on, Sergeant, I'm out on parol and I can't go back to jail, please. I'll go back to Hell's Kitchen in New York and you'll never see me again, whaddya say?" Turk offered as Judy took out the car keys from the ignition and smiled at him.

"Yeah, because I'm sure they missed you," Judy remarked sarcastically as she tossed the keys away and Turk looked at her in disbelief.

Judy walked away while reporting the arrest on her radio and she got in her car, then she drove to the address and eventually stopped at her next destination. Judy got out of her car and headed to the side door, then she went inside while pulling out her service weapon and aimed around as she heard someone speaking Spanish nearby. As she cautiously entered a large room, she discovered that the person speaking Spanish was on a TV but something to her right caught her attention.

Judy took a look and saw open containers that used to have guns and ammo inside them, and she moved past them after examining them and headed to a storage room with packaged fish. When Judy moved the curtains aside, her eyes widened in horror as she gagged and turned her head away, seeing the sight of dead carved-up bodies pinned up against the walls by knives as she reached for her radio and informed dispatch of the situation.

As she moved slowly through the room, Judy felt like throwing up as some of the bodies were sliced open by a sharp blade and their intestines were hanging out for anyone to see while the other bodies were stabbed and laying on the floor in their own blood.

_"Oh God, what kind of sick fuckers would do this?" _Judy thought with a disturbed look on her face as she passed a body that had a screwdriver in his head.

Judy's ears perked up when she heard faint wheezing and quickly headed to one of the bodies that were pinned against the wall by two knives, and she touched the horse by the shoulders which caused him to gasp as his eyes weakly opened and looked at her.

"It's okay, I'm with the police and I'm getting you down from there," Judy reassured gently as she holstered her Glock and grabbed the knives.

Judy carefully pulled out one knife as the stallion groaned and she made sure he didn't fall as she pulled out the second knife and carefully lowered him to the ground.

"I-I always knew...that I would die...like this," the stallion gurgled and Judy gently shushed him to calm him down.

"Hold on, I'm calling an ambulance so that you can get help," Judy reassured as she went to grab her radio and the stallion snatched her wrist.

"No...no...no..." the stallion whimpered and Judy moved her hand away from her radio as she held the dying horse.

"Who the hell did this?" Judy asked.

"No one escapes this...no one can," the stallion gasped.

"Please, tell me who they are and I'll make sure they'll be punished for this," Judy swore and the stallion weakly shook his head.

"Not them...him...it's one man," the stallion told her before he died in her arms and Judy's eyes widened in horror when she realized that the survivor from the bar massacre is in serious danger.

Judy stood up and ran out of the room, leaving the building and heading to her car while praying that she makes it in time.

* * *

I was walking calmly through the halls of the hospital, passing employees and patients as I searched for my target and rested my hand on the barrel of a shotgun that was hidden in my jacket. As I was walking, I spotted a ram security guard finishing up his call on a payphone and when he saw me, his eyes widened in alarm at seeing a glimpse of the shotgun and he pulled out his Beretta before aiming at me.

"Don't move and show me your hands!" the ram ordered nervously.

Before he could shoot, I quickly disarmed him and bashed the gun across his face twice to knock him out as people screamed and ran from me assaulting the guard and unslinging my shotgun after I tossed the handgun in the nearby trashcan.

* * *

At that time, Judy made it to the room where the survivor was at and she burst inside which startled the bartender and a woman with blond hair.

"Are you Grotto?" Judy questioned the bartender.

"Who the hell are you?" Grotto asked while the woman looked confused.

"I'm Sergeant Judy Hopps with the ZPD and I need to get you and your friend out of here, now," Judy stated urgently just as screaming rang out in the hallway.

"Oh God," Grotto whimpered as the woman stood up.

"What was that?" the woman wondered uneasily as she stood up from her chair.

"Someone's come to finish the job," Grotto said as he sat up and winced from the graze flaring up.

"Listen, we need to go because you're in serious danger and somebody's here to kill you," Judy explained as Grotto frantically unhooked himself from the EKG machine and headed over to the door with Judy and the woman.

Judy peered out into the hallway and saw a dark figure of a large man with buzzcut hair who was coming around the corner and he wearing a black jacket, black t-shirt with a kevlar vest over it, blue jeans with a belt, and brown work boots but what made her feel truly alarmed was the shotgun he was holding as the man was heading to the room.

"Shit," the woman gasped in terror as Judy looked at her and Grotto.

"We need to go, run!" Judy shouted and they all burst out of the room in plain sight of the man.

* * *

I saw a rabbit cop in a trench coat bust out of a room with a blond-haired woman and my target, prompting me to raise the shotgun at my target and I blasted a cart that got in the way which caused me to narrow my eyes at the obstacle while the target limped around a corner with the other two. I aimed my shotgun at the glass window that showed them running and blasted at the target, causing the glass to shatter as the woman and the target made noises of terror.

I walked quickly around the corner to see them heading towards the door that leads to the stairs and I aimed before blasting a piece of the wall that was in the way, and they went through the door as I went after them. I kicked the door open and aimed at the target but I didn't see the cop with him and the woman as I aimed at them, then they moved out of my line of fire as I blasted the wall, causing the woman to scream in sheer panic as I turned and quickly headed up the stairs.

I arrived at the roof and opened the door, rushing to my sniper's perch and unzipping a duffle bag that held a rifle with a scope inside. I loaded up the rifle with fresh ammo and rested the gun on my arm as I knelt down and looked through the scope to see a car speeding away with my target in the passenger seat.

I fired at the car and kept missing intentionally to get them into a killing zone that would put the target into my line of fire, then I saw the car about to make a right turn and I placed my finger on the trigger as the target came into my line of fire.

"One batch...two batch...penny and dime," I whispered coldly and started to pull the trigger.

Suddenly, I heard something rushing at me and I whipped my head just to get a knee to my face, sending me down as I grunted in pain from the sudden ambush. I quickly reacted by aiming at the rabbit cop that just attacked me and she kicked the barrel of the rifle away as it went off, and she disarmed me while kicking me in the face then I took out my shotgun to fire at her.

The cop jumped out of the way and I quickly stood up to fire at her again, causing her to grapple the gun and forcing it into the air as it fired and she started hitting me in my side as she ducked to avoid another shotgun blast that would've blown her head away and flipped me to the ground. I dropped the shotgun and got up to strike her and she kept dodging while hitting my face and chest with rapid punches that made me grunt many times in the process.

The cop jumped up and did two kicks to the face that sent me to the ground, then I groaned slightly as I stood up and grappled with her before slamming my head into her face. While she was dazed, I punched her twice and threw her onto a chimney before slamming a fist into her face that sent her toppling off the chimney and crashing to the ground. I grunted and started walking away while nursing my aching chin, feeling pissed that the target got away but I would track him down later since I needed to bug out before that cop's reinforcements showed up.

I heard a war cry and quickly reacted by dodging the swift kick that would've rendered me out cold, and sent the cop into a wall with a nasty strike before she tackled into me and we both struggled to overpower each other as she sent me down with a roundhouse kick and I rolled into the light that was shining above us as I got up and the cop sent rapid strikes into my face and threw me to the ground.

I landed face-first and before the cop could knock me out, I rolled over and pulled out a Glock 26 from my ankle holster before I aimed at her and the light showed that I was in my early thirties with cold blue eyes and a horrific burn scar that covered the right side of my face and head while I grinned with a bloody face and breathed heavily.

"Bang," I taunted and shot her in the kevlar vest, sending the cop over the edge and I barely stood up while groaning in pain.

I headed to the edge and saw that she fell to another rooftop that wasn't far below us and I could see that she was unconscious which made things easier for me. I looked away and headed to the area where I dropped my guns in the fight, having a feeling that I would see that cop again soon.

* * *

A/N Welcome to the Zistopia version of Darkness Within where the global pandemic never happened and Martin is the Punisher. I know that Martin isn't Frank Castle but I think he would fit into the world of the Punisher as the lethal vigilante and just to let you all know, I'm using Jon Bernthal's version of the Punisher as Martin's character since it would fit him.

Some marvel characters like Karen Page, Matt Murdock, and Foggy Nelson will only be making a small appearance since this is Martin's story and Karen will only be living in Zootopia while Matt and Foggy visit for the trial.

If you like this chapter, let me know and stay tuned.


	2. Chapter 2

Zootopia General, Savanna Central, Zootopia, Illinois, 2015.

After Bogo tried to contact Judy and there was no answer from her, he and several other officers rushed over to where her car was parked and they set up a containment perimeter around the hospital to locate the unknown shooter and they didn't find anything for hours as the sun went up.

"Have you found anything?" Bogo asked an officer, who shook his head.

"Nothing, sir," the stallion replied and Bogo sighed in frustration.

"Keep looking," Bogo ordered as he moved past other officers.

Eventually, Bogo got an update that people heard shots being fired on a rooftop in 10th street last night and he rushed over to the location with three other officers before they went up the steps of a fire escape and pulled out their service weapons just in case. As they arrived on the rooftop, Bogo and the three officers searched the roof until they found Judy laying on the ground unconscious and Bogo's eyes widened in shock.

"Sergeant!" Bogo exclaimed in horror as he rushed over to check on Judy and he called over his shoulder, "Call a bus!"

Bogo tried to wake up Judy by gently tapping her cheek and praying that she was okay, just as Judy groaned in pain and she opened her eyes which made Bogo let out a sigh of pure relief.

"Hopps, can you hear me?" Bogo questioned as Judy winced and she tried to sit up, only for Bogo to lay her back down.

"Lay back down, you might have a head injury," Bogo ordered firmly.

"Ugh...my fucking head and my ribs," Judy wheezed as two EMTs rushed over and moved Bogo out of the way.

"Just don't move, you'll be taken to a hospital and will be fine soon," Bogo reassured as the EMTs put Judy on a stretcher and headed to the nearby door that led to an elevator.

* * *

After Judy was taken to a hospital, she was currently resting while a detective was questioning her about last night's events with Bogo standing in the room with his arms crossed.

"Okay, you ambushed the perp and got into a fight against him until he took out a backup gun and shot you in the vest, correct?" the detective inquired and Judy nodded.

"Yes...the perp managed to overpower me a few times during the fight until he pulled out his gun and shot me," Judy confirmed and Bogo let out a noise of disbelief.

"Going after and getting into a fight with a well-armed and highly trained unsub without any backup? What the bloody hell were you thinking? You are lucky that he didn't have any armor-piercing rounds in his back up weapon or you would be in the morgue right now and I would have to notify your family in Bunny Burrow what happened," Bogo lectured sternly and Judy looked away.

"I know...I was stupid, reckless, and should've known better. It won't happen again, sir," Judy promised and Bogo huffed while the detective cleared her throat.

"Let's get back to our previous conversation. Did you get a good look at him? Did you see what he looked like?" the detective questioned and Judy nodded.

"Yes, he was a human male about 6'4, had brown hair that was in a buzzcut, blue eyes, and was disfigured with a nasty burn scar that covered his right face and the side of his head," Judy described and the detective nodded as she wrote down in her notebook.

"A large human male who looks disfigured, he should be easy to find once we get you to see a sketch artist and have the shooter's face posted on the news. You said that he was trained and managed to overpower you a few times?" Bogo asked.

"Yeah, he was quick and reacted fast, not to mention that he was skilled in hand to hand combat so chances are he's former military, maybe special forces," Judy added and Bogo looked at the detective.

"Look for anyone who was severely injured with facial burns and discharged from the military recently, also check to see if anyone from special forces matches the description of our shooter," Bogo ordered and the detective nodded as she finished writing down in her notebook and left the room.

"Sir, what about Mr. Grotto and his friend? Are they doing okay?" Judy inquired and Bogo looked at her.

"Mr. Grotto and his friend Miss Page are currently in police custody at the moment, but I've received word that two big-time lawyers are traveling from New York to represent Mr. Grotto and make a deal with the DA...Lord knows why," Bogo muttered the last part as he went to leave the room.

"Sir, be careful if you find the shooter because he already killed a bunch of fellow cops and what he did to members of the Mexican Cartel...he's not going down without a fight," Judy warned and Bogo looked back at her with a nod.

"I will so you be sure to get some rest because I want my precinct's best Sergeant to be back on her feet to personally arrest the bastard that shot her," Bogo stated and he left the room.

Judy sighed as she got comfortable and looked at nothing in particular as she thought about the shooter, feeling a chill in her spine as she recalled his cold blue eyes and how they looked completely dead like there was no life in them at all. Judy wondered how a person could hold such a disturbing expression but she decided that he was a human so why should she care about it.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an interrogation room at Precinct 1, Grotto was sitting at a table and looked completely nervous as Karen Page was sitting across from him.

"Is that window bulletproof?" Grotto asked uneasily and Karen looked behind her until she went back to writing down on her notebook.

"There are twenty cops outside that door so you're safe," Karen reassured as she kept writing down on her notebook.

"Where the hell are those lawyer friends you were talking about?" Grotto inquired impatiently.

"They're on their way. Place of birth?" Karen questioned.

"I'm originally from Queens in New York but I moved here to Zootopia a few years ago," Grotto answered.

"Any relatives? Anyone, we should place into witness protection with you?" Karen asked and Grotto shook his head.

"No, I don't have anyone...you don't seem rattled by what happened last night. A guy tried to blow your head off and you ain't scared?" Grotto wondered in confusion and Karen looked at him.

"I'm completely terrified," Karen admitted just as the door opened and two humans in suits, a man with long hair and another with shades and a walking stick, came walking in and the man with long hair looked breathless.

"Sorry for being late. Are you okay?" the man with long hair asked in concern as he and Karen hugged.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The paperwork's almost done and Detective Oates is going to be here in a minute," Karen informed the two men and the one with shades turned his head at Grotto.

"Mr. Grotto, I'm Matthew Murdock and this is Foggy Nelson. We're going to be representing you and make a deal with the DA to put you into witness protection," Matt greeted as he shook hands with Grotto.

"Okay, let's get started so you told Miss Page that the Gnuccis and a bunch of off-duty ZPD officers were attacked by a group of men? I'm pretty sure you told her that it was an "army" that was responsible. So, do you want to tell me and Mr. Murdock why we are now hearing that this is all being done by one man? Who does he work for?" Foggy questioned sternly.

"I have no fucking clue," Grotto retorted.

"Mr. Grotto, if you can't give us anything that could give us a clue on the shooter's identity, then I'm afraid we can't help you. How about this, why don't you tell us what you do know and we'll see where we will go from there," Matt reasoned calmly and Grotto sighed.

"Well, I know he's a sociopath who tried to fucking kill me and Miss Page. Fine, I heard the rumors but I didn't think...I thought it was stupid, okay? Ten, twenty guys would be mowed down at a time with precision, tactically. Every hit was like it came from SEAL Team Six, then people started saying that it was one guy who was responsible. One man? I thought it was a ghost story.

Some...some campfire shit you tell freshies to make 'em crap their pants, but now...you saw, the guy was like the Goddamn Grim Reaper," Grotto told the last part to Karen as the door opened and a tall muscular male horse wearing a suit with a badge hanging from his neck came into the room.

"Mr. Grotto, I'm Detective Oates and I have some fresh clothes for you," Detective Oates greeted with a frown as he put down an orange jumpsuit with white shoes on the table.

"What the hell is this? Am I under arrest?" Grotto questioned uneasily.

"It's just protective custody until we can make arrangements for WITSEC," Foggy reassured and Grotto stared at the jumpsuit.

"Why the peel?" Grotto asked Detective Oates, who started looking irritated.

"Hey, it's either this or you stay in that gown with your ass hanging out because I couldn't give a shit about your sense of fashion," Detective Oates snapped and muttered something about 'damn humans'.

"Fine," Grotto agreed reluctantly.

"We pulled the security footage from the hospital and gotten a statement from an officer that was injured on scene last night. We have ten officers looking over it right now," Detective Oates notified everyone.

"Did you find any leads, Detective?" Matt inquired and Detective Oates looked at him.

"I was hoping you guys found something so let's give Mr. Grotto some privacy. Can the three of you step outside with me for a second?" Detective Oates suggested to Matt, Karen, and Foggy as he headed to the door and opened it.

Matt, Karen, and Foggy followed Detective Oates outside and walked through the precinct while passing other officers that were sending hostile glares at the three humans.

"Now, the DA's office is sending someone over to talk you through witness protection options," Detective Oates informed the others.

"Today?" Foggy questioned.

"Yeah, right now and listen, take whatever deal they offer, okay? You don't want to screw with this psycho...look, I don't like either of you three because you fucking humans think you can walk in here and act like you own the damn place.

Once this whole thing is over, I want all of you gone because you three being here is putting my fellow officers on edge and most of them aren't fond of humans," Detective Oates warned.

"Okay, but you do have a lead from what you said earlier," Karen chimed in and Detective Oates sighed as he went to a coffee machine to get a cup.

"Do you all know what the Clemons used to say? Gotta treat witnesses like mushrooms by feeding them shit and keeping 'em in the dark. That scumbag sitting in that room is on a need to know," Detective Oates stated as he made a cup of coffee and started sipping from it.

"So, tell us everything you know, Detective. Who's supplying the shooter with military-grade hardware and who is his employer?" Matt inquired while using his enhanced hearing to listen in on nearby officers for any information.

"The DA's office says that the shooter is independent and is a vigilante type who's been targeting criminals and different crime families, but not like that Devil of Hell's Kitchen character in New York...more like in a Death Wish way," Detective Oates explained.

"Holy shit..." Foggy trailed off in shock.

"Yeah, the officer who gave us her statement while she is recovering in the hospital told us that the shooter is highly skilled in hand to hand combat and is a sharpshooter, not to mention that she described the shooter being disfigured with a nasty burn scar that covered the right side of his face and head so we're going with the theory that he's former military, quite possibly special forces.

I've heard the news that when the Devil of Hell's Kitchen kicks ass, the whole city of New York cheers like they've just won the World Series but this guy...he does it and the streets get bloody which makes everybody stop and think twice about the whole "hero" proposition," Detective Oates stated.

"Well, what do you think?" Foggy inquired.

"I think that it's a good thing you humans are wearing those TAME collars or there'll be hundreds or thousands of people running around and killing people like what our shooter is doing...honestly, the whole force is split because some cops want him off the streets and given the death penalty for killing fellow officers while others think he's making our jobs a whole lot easier.

If you ask me, it's only a matter of time before the wrong person gets caught in the crossfire," Detective Oates answered as he took a sip from his cup.

"Yeah...when you put it like that, I guess copycats were inevitable," Foggy agreed and Detective Oates shook his head.

"No, it's not the first because this is just the latest due to hearing about the so-called "Devil Worshippers", who are crazy fuckers inspired by the Devil of Hell's Kitchen in New York. Christ, most of them are just ineffectual idiots, but this guy...all my years as a cop and I have never seen anything like this before. It makes my time serving in the Gulf War look like a fucking picnic," Detective Oates remarked as he sipped from his cup and walked away.

Karen and Foggy looked at each other uneasily while Matt was very concerned, wanting to go out later tonight and get information on who this shooter really is so that he could find and stop him from killing more people before innocents are caught in the crossfire.

* * *

After the DA had personally shown up and had an unpleasant conversation with Matt and the others, the DA reluctantly agreed to their terms and now they all were listening to what Grotto had to say.

"I'll keep it simple so give me me a deal, put me in front of a camera, and I'll tell you everything about the Gnuccis and how they operate like names, dates, their favorite titty-bars-" Grotto offered and the DA shook her head.

"That's not good enough," the DA refused.

"That's all he's offering, Mrs. Campbell, so take it or leave it," Matt stated calmly.

"Most of Mr. Grote's mob friends are either dead or going into hiding so if you want this office's endorsement, you'll have to give us someone who's still breathing," Campbell said firmly.

"How do you suppose our client manages that?" Foggy questioned.

"We would like Mr. Grote to wear a wire and meet one of his old associates because our files show that he had previous encounters with one of Ma Gnucci's three sons Bobbie," Campbell's associate Williams stated and Grotto instantly stood up.

"Bobbie Gnucci?! You're out of your Goddamn mind!" Grotto exclaimed in horror as his collar beeped yellow.

"Grotto, calm down before your collar goes off," Karen warned and Grotto took a few deep breaths to calm down as the collar light turned green.

"Excuse me, we need to have a moment with our client," Matt chimed in as he and the others stood up to talk to Grotto privately.

"Fine," Campbell said before she and her associate started whispering to each other.

"Who's Bobbie Gnucci?" Karen inquired quietly.

"He's one of Ma Gnucci's three sons and is a fucked-up nutjob like you won't believe...if they send me after him, I'm as good as dead since snitches don't live long in this world," Grotto explained just as quietly.

"We get it, we really do, but chances are is that the Feds are going to ask for the same thing," Foggy reasoned and looked at Campbell to ask, "Why Grotto?"

"Because we know that your client has worked with Mr. Gnucci before so you got an in," Campbell answered.

"If he could get Mr. Gnucci to talk, he would be instrumental in taking down the major players of the Gnucci Crime Family and crippling their entire organization in a way that they'll never recover from," Williams explained.

"And if I don't?" Grotto asked hesitantly.

"Then you are free to walk away but don't expect to get very far," Campbell stated as she gestured at Williams, who reached into his bag and took out stacked files before putting them on the table and opening one up to show them.

"Oh, God," Karen gasped softly in shock as she saw that it was an autopsy report of someone who was shot multiple times.

"What the hell is that?" Foggy questioned in disbelief while Matt stayed quiet throughout the whole thing.

"You could call it "work product" of morgue reports generated by the shooter who attacked you in the hospital," Campbell told Grotto while Karen looked through crime scene photos of victims who were either shot multiple times or carved up by a sharp knife.

"And all these people were...were killed by the same man?" Karen asked hesitantly.

"He's tracking gangs and small-time criminals to their home turfs and taking them out with military precision, but it doesn't stop there," Williams replied as Grotto sat back down.

"What do you mean it doesn't stop there?" Grotto questioned nervously as he looked through the files.

"His targets aren't random, Mr. Grote because he knows exactly who he wants to hit and if any of his intended marks are lucky enough to escape...say if they're off buying a sandwich or in bed with the flu while also recuperating under an assumed alias at Zootopia General, he gets to them sooner or later," Campbell explained.

"Jesus Christ," Grotto whimpered while he turned pale.

"My office is offering you a chance to save yourself, so whatever choice you make is up to you and your, uh...legal team," Campbell offered before her phone went off and she left the room to answer it.

"And the police have no idea who's doing this?" Karen asked while she looked through the files.

"It's an ongoing investigation right now but our guys at the office are close to completing a profile," Williams informed the others.

"A profile?" Foggy wondered.

"It even got a code name," Williams stated.

"Like what?" Matt chimed in.

"They're calling this one...the Punisher," Williams answered and all four humans looked at each other in concern at the fact that there was a nutjob running around in the streets and killing people.

* * *

I was walking through the streets of Zootopia and arrived at a pawnshop that had what I'm looking for to track down the target that escaped last night, then I opened the door and walked in to see a weasel behind the counter while he was chatting with a raccoon.

"Oh, I suppose this crap is yours too?" the weasel remarked sarcastically as he held up something that I couldn't quite see.

"What the fuck do you care? A hundred in trade, come on!" the raccoon complained as the ringing bell hanging above the door got the weasel's attention and he saw me approaching.

"Go on, get the hell out of here," the weasel said as he handed the raccoon some money and gestured for him to leave, prompting the raccoon to leave and he accidentally bumped into me on his way out.

"Do I know you, asshole?" the weasel questioned me and I had caught a glimpse of him slowly reaching under the counter as I stopped in front of it.

"I need a ZPD mobile communications rig, one that gets encrypted tactical frequencies," I told him stoically and the weasel scoffed.

"What the hell do I look like, Radioshack? Anyway, dealing in this shit is illegal and I'd rather not have those blue-uniformed bastards kicking the shit out of me," the weasel said and I stayed quiet as I took out some money and put it on the counter.

"Are you sure you're not going to be trouble because that's shit I don't need," the weasel stated as he looked at the money and I took it off the counter.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I gotta ask so just hold on, alright? Just hold on," the weasel reassured as he leaned over and searched around before lifting a duffle bag with a police mobile communications rig inside onto the counter.

"Here you go, straight outta Officer Mcdipshit's dashboard. It'll get your tactical bands, surveillance feeds, and it'll probably pick up the Mayor banging her husband," the weasel explained and I scoffed slightly which made him say, "It's a grand because this is a one-of-kind item."

I looked down and counted the money in my hands before putting the correct amount on the counter and I saw a nearby wall camera looking down at us.

"Videotape," I said gruffly since I couldn't let my mission be compromised due to being ID by the police.

"Sure, so what the hell," the weasel remarked after putting away the money and he leaned down and took out the videotape that had all the footage from today before giving it to me.

"What about the double-barrel under the counter?" I pointed out and the weasel looked taken aback while I placed down more money on the counter.

The weasel took the money reluctantly and reached down under the counter to take out a sawed-off double-barreled Remington shotgun and unloaded the shells before holding it out by the barrels to give to me, only I took the shells and he put away the shotgun while I put the shells in my jacket pocket. The weasel zipped up the bag and I took the straps before lifting the bag and turning around to leave.

"Hey man, are you sure I can't get you anything else? You know, I got it all! Bondage, back-door, grannies, or maybe you're in the market for something younger because she's barely twelve so it's guaranteed!" the weasel called out to me as I was at the door and I stopped when I heard the last part of what he said.

"You like that, huh? For a hundred bucks, she's all yours," the weasel offered gleefully.

I felt sheer fury and disgust at what I heard and my eyes turned cold and dead as I put the bag down and flipped the door sign to closed in order get privacy for what I'm about to do next, just as the weasel laughed and I turned around.

"That's my man!" the weasel cheered as I headed to a barrel full of metal baseball bats and I took one out before flipping it over and holding it by the handle.

"W-What the hell are you doing? Hey man, just take it easy...come on, I'm just trying to make a buck!" the weasel pleaded as I approached the counter with a dead look and I swung hard into his head which sent him crashing to the floor.

I went over the counter fluidly and stood over the weasel, who was groaning and I swung down onto his hands and knees which broke them and he screamed in agony as I kept hitting him many times. Eventually, I stopped and stared down at the badly beaten weasel while he wheezed and gagged in pain.

"Please...stop," the weasel begged weakly and I knelt down before leering into his muzzle.

"Stop? We're only getting started," I whispered coldly and went right back to hitting him.

* * *

After Matt had managed to convince Karen and Foggy that he needed to do something for the night, he suited up in his Daredevil outfit and searched the city for a few hours on locating the Punisher's hideout and his sharp hearing picked up the sounds of a police radio coming from one of the apartment buildings in the Happytown district. Daredevil entered the building and followed the sound until he stopped at a door and smashed it open by kicking it.

Daredevil entered the apartment and heard the police radio as plain as day, then he picked up a scent and smelled the air around him to discover that the scent was lots of gunpowder and cleaning oil which told him that there were many firearms and ammo inside the apartment and he came to the conclusion that he had located the Punisher's hideout.

As Daredevil searched the entire apartment, he didn't find any signs of the Punisher being there but he was very worried since the man had enough firepower to take on half the city if he wanted to.

Since Daredevil didn't find anything, he started to listen to the police chatter on the radio for any clue of the Punisher's current whereabouts but then he heard Campbell talking and just knew that the Punisher would be at the location she was talking about.

Daredevil quickly left the apartment and rushed out of the building while hoping that he wasn't too late.

* * *

At that time, I had discovered earlier on the police radio that my target had come out of hiding and was meeting with Bobbie Gnucci but I knew it was a trap set up by the police to get me out in the open so I located a warehouse/chop shop that had a few members of a motorcycle club shipping taking apart cars and I kicked open a door while throwing a makeshift smoke grenade that startled a few wolves in the process.

"What the fuck-" one wolf started to yelp and I blasted him in the head with my AA12 shotgun.

Every single wolf, dog, and hyena quickly reacted by pulling out their guns and tried to shoot at me, but I quickly took cover while also aiming and killing them one by one. I shot a wolf and his blood splattered on my face as I kept shooting and one hyena was killed as the buckshot sent him crashing against a semi-truck while an elderly Doberman was washing it and listening to music on his earphones.

The Doberman slowly turned around after seeing the blood splatter onto the truck and he saw me slowly walk out of the shadows with blood on my face and a cold expression in my eyes as I gestured for him to keep his hands where I can see them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Grotto and the others were in a small building near a large warehouse with Campbell, Williams, and Chief Bogo as they were preparing for the arrest of Bobbie Gnucci.

"This is the fucking wire you want me to wear? Why don't I just carry a video camera with me and a guy with boom mike?" Grotto complained as Bogo was finished getting him set up.

"Relax, Grotto, you'll be fine. Look, either you are the luckiest man in Zootopia or someone up there thinks you're worth saving," Karen reassured as she helped button up Grotto's shirt.

"I really hope that's true," Grotto muttered.

"We're all set on our end," Campbell informed the others.

"Well, good for you, lady but me? I've got some serious reservations about this shit," Grotto retorted as his collar beeped yellow.

"Should I be concerned about this?" Campbell wondered.

"All we need is for Mr. Gnucci to admit he's selling drugs and it doesn't have to be where or who so just get him to confirm it, alright? Don't make it the first question or the second one, but get there organically and you'll be in and out before you know it. He's got no reason not to trust you," Foggy told him and Grotto shot him a look of disbelief.

"No? Look at this thing, it's like an eight-track player around my damn neck," Grotto grumbled irritably as he gestured to his buttoned-up shirt.

"You came to us for a deal, Grotto, so you can always leave because we can always find someone else. After recent events, we've got plenty of exciting prospects like lots of low-lives looking to get out of the criminal business for good," Campbell stated and Grotto sighed.

"I don't doubt that," Grotto remarked.

"Good, then you know where we stand so Counselor, maybe you should do some counseling before I hopefully change my mind," Campbell told Foggy as she gestured for Bogo to follow her and Foggy looked at Grotto.

"This is not a deal you walk away from," Foggy said and Grotto scoffed.

"Not alive, no," Grotto stated.

"You get them Bobbie Gnucci and they get you away from the psychopath that's hunting you," Karen reasoned.

"It ain't just him because what if Bobbie puts a bullet in me and what if the Gnuccis got wind I'm doing this?" Grotto questioned.

"They didn't because when Fisk went away, so did a lot of corrupt cops and now no one's palms are getting greased anymore," Karen reassured.

"We're getting you out clean," Foggy added and Grotto huffed.

"Sure Fisk went away along with a lot of dirty cops but that was in New York...you don't know how things work in this city and do either of you think the cops will keep me safe? There was this story I heard about a fox named Johnathan Wilde, who used to be known as Honest John because he was the most friendly tod anyone has ever seen before.

John used to be a tailor and he owned a shop where he would design and sell clothes at fair prices...he was arrested one day back in the late eighties and sent to jail where he got sick and died a slow agonizing death while the cops just stood back and laughed as they watched him die slowly.

The poor bastard left behind a wife and two kids, one who was an adopted human, and they were devastated when they got the news back then. Do you still think the cops will keep me safe because it feels like I'm only getting in deeper than before," Grotto admitted uneasily.

"No, you're not because this is your second chance, Grotto," Karen argued firmly.

"Just don't say anything incriminating and you'll be fine," Foggy quipped and Grotto shot a look of disbelief at him.

"Are you fucking serious? Is that a concern?" Grotto wondered frantically as his collar beeped yellow again and Foggy raised his hands.

"No, I'm kidding because we're here and you're covered," Foggy placated and Grotto took a few deep breaths as the collar beeped green.

"Just let the other guy do all the talking and you'll walk out of there alive," Karen instructed and Grotto nodded reluctantly.

"Fine," Grotto muttered as Foggy took out a file and showed it to him.

"These are your orders for witness protection and it's legally binding until midnight upon which, if not executed, they turn into the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown," Foggy joked and Karen scoffed while Grotto looked at him like he had two heads.

"What?" Grotto questioned in sheer confusion.

"Nothing," Foggy replied as Williams approached the group.

"It's time so let's go," Williams notified them and Grotto adjusted his shirt.

"I bet these assholes are sending me to Florida," Grotto grumbled and Karen chuckled.

"Actually, they are," Karen remarked.

"Did I ever tell you I hate Florida?" Grotto asked as he tucked in his shirt.

"Only about a thousand times," Foggy stated as Grotto sighed and looked at Karen.

"Thank you," Grotto told her and Karen nodded as he was escorted out of the building by Williams and a couple of officers.

"Uh, did you hear anything from Matt?" Karen inquired and Foggy gulped slightly.

"Um, he said that he wasn't feeling too well and needed to turn in for the night," Foggy lied and Karen looked shocked.

"Oh, I hope he's okay and that he'll get better soon," Karen said and Foggy nodded.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine," Foggy reassured and they went to where Campbell was watching Grotto on the monitors.

"It's showtime, the target's inside the perimeter," Campbell informed Bogo, who nodded.

"Understood," Bogo acknowledged and informed his officers on his radio.

"Target?" Foggy wondered in confusion.

"It's only an expression, Nelson, so don't get your panties in a bunch," Campbell told him and ordered a zebra to keep monitoring Grotto.

* * *

Grotto entered the parking lot of the warehouse and stopped in the middle while feeling terrified, looking around and trying to keep himself calm.

"Yo, Bobbie, It's Grotto now cut the spook act and say something already! You don't wanna deal, fine, but find someone else stupid enough to buy H off you!" Grotto called out nervously and the sound of someone clearing their throat got his attention and he turned to see a dark figure standing next to an open container that was empty.

"Good one, man, now let's get this done because I've got places to be tonight!" Grotto lied as he approached the figure that was heading into the container.

Grotto followed the figure and entered the container until he was suddenly grabbed and he whimpered in terror as he was pulled to the end of the container and thrown down to the ground by a ZPD SWAT officer, then Grotto shouted into his wire to abort the operation when the SWAT officer grabbed his chin and forced him to look up as the officer pointed at his shoulder patches with the ZPD insignia on them.

"I'm a cop, you damn human, now shut your fucking mouth!" the officer hissed at him before reaching to his radio and reported, "Package is delivered."

"What the hell do you mean by 'package is delivered'?" Grotto questioned and the officer threw down a kevlar vest into his lap.

"If I were you, I'd put that on," the officer warned as he went over to his nearby M4A1 carbine and picked it up.

"What? Why?" Grotto questioned but the officer ignored him.

"Charlie one is now set, over," the officer informed the technician on the other end as he raised his rifle at the gate Grotto slipped through earlier.

Many other SWAT officers and snipers came out of the shadows and aimed at the gate as they all heard something approaching quickly, then they spotted a semi-truck driving fast to their location and got ready to shoot.

"Take him out!" the officer ordered.

All officers opened fire on the truck as it fast approached the parking lot and crashed through the gate, sparks coming off the truck from the rounds hitting it and one got the driver as the truck sped past the officers and crashed into a wall hard while officers were still shooting.

"Hold your fire and move in!" the officer ordered and everyone stopped shooting before a few SWAT officers slowly approached the driver-side door.

One officer arrived at the door and slowly reached out before opening it, then he saw a dead elderly Doberman with a biker vest slumped onto the steering wheel while his muzzle was taped shut by ducktape and his hands were restrained to the wheel.

"Shit! It's not him, it's a diversion! The target's still out there!" the officer informed the others and every SWAT officers started searching the area for the target.

* * *

I was standing on the roof of a water tower and kept aiming my rifle down at the parking lot, looking through the scope and waiting patiently for my target to come out until I heard something land onto the roof and I looked down to see one of my makeshift smoke grenades rolling in front of my feet and going off.

"Shit..." I trailed off before something hit me hard in the face and I went flying off the water tower.

I bounced off the shack below and crashed to the rooftop of the warehouse as gunshots rang out nearby and rounds hit the water tower, causing water to spray out and soak me as I groaned and went to grab my rifle. Suddenly, something zipped by me and sent the rife far away and I looked to see that my attacker was not the female rabbit cop this time, but a human male dressed in a strange red jumpsuit with horns.

I was pissed at the man for preventing me from eliminating my target and ran at him as he grabbed a red metal stick that flew back at him, then I tackled the man and we rolled as we both got up and the man tried to hit me with his stick by using some form of martial arts, but I dodged a few times while he managed to hit me in my side and head.

The man almost hit me again but I grappled with the stick and quickly disarmed him as he twirled in mid-air by doing a cartwheel, then I roared as I rush him and bashed the man across the head hard with his weapon that sent him down to the ground. The man did a backflip just as more gunshots rang out, forcing me and him to duck a few times to avoid getting our heads blown off and I slammed the stick across the man's head again as I ran past him and I dived to the ground as a bullet passed my head and the man yelled while he kicked the back of my leg and sent me down while he was running.

I got up and chased after the man before we grappled and I slammed my head into his face just as the man managed to kick me to the ground, then a bullet grazed my arm and I shouted in pain as I instinctively gripped the injury and the man tackled me before we both got up and hit each other with rapid strikes while also blocking and dodging. The man managed to get the upper hand and I was getting the shit kicked out of me before I grabbed him and we went tumbling through a roof window.

The glass shattered as we fell into the building and crashed hard onto the floor, then I spat up blood and we both groaned as the man and I struggled to stand up and we faced each other. The man and I were breathing heavily while we circled each other and the man suddenly stopped as he swayed dizzily and babbled something under his breath while he weakly raised his fists, giving me the chance to stumble over and knock him out with a heavy strike to the face.

The man slumped onto me and I slung him over my shoulder as I left the building before the cops showed up.

"Okay...Devil of Hell's Kitchen, looks like we need to have a chat," I muttered as I got out of the area and headed to my truck.

* * *

A/N How did you all like the fight between Daredevil and the Punisher since the first half of the story will follow the Netflix Daredevil season two with a few changes. I've been wondering how I should incorporate any Zootopia characters as villains from the Punisher series since Fisk is in New York and if you all wanted me to put down the Agent Orange conspiracy as the reason for what happened to Martin's family.

If any of you have watched the Netflix shows and have any suggestions you want to share with me, let me know and stay tuned.


	3. Chapter 3

After I had driven away from the warehouse with the Devil of Hell's Kitchen in the bed of my truck before the police rushed over to the building, I drove for several blocks until I had arrived at an apartment building and took the masked hero to the roof before I proceeded to chain him up so that he couldn't escape until I grabbed my thermos and sat down as I waited for the man to wake up so that we could have a talk.

As I drank from my thermos, I noticed Daredevil stirring as he muttered inaudibly and then he discovered that he was chained up before proceeding to thrash around in a panic as I stared at him coldly.

"Morning, sunshine," I greeted dryly and took a sip from my thermos before putting it down and got to work on sewing up my injury.

I gritted my teeth slightly as I focused on stitching the injury shut with the suture and I heard Daredevil still struggling before I looked at him to see the man trying to get free until he gave up.

"They say you don't hear the bullet that gets you, always thought that sounded like a bunch of bullshit to me...how about you, Red? When you go out and do what you do, have you ever heard that?" I questioned stoically and Daredevil started struggling again before I rolled my eyes and sighed as he let out a yell of frustration.

"You can keep bashing against you chains all night but the only you get out of here, the only way you walk free is if I want you to so know that," I stated and Daredevil quit thrashing around as he breathed heavily.

"Why the hell didn't you take my mask off?" Daredevil questioned in confusion.

"I couldn't give a shit about who you are," I replied as I was finishing up with stitching up my injury.

"You killed everyone else from what I hear so why am I still alive? Huh? I got in your way and you don't strike me as someone who just lets that happen," Daredevil pointed out as I stood up and headed over to the gun and ammo crates I had gotten from the back of my truck before I pulled the tarp off of them and started to open them with my combat knife.

"Military-grade hardware, you seem to know your way around it and you sure carry yourself like a soldier...so, what are you gonna do with all of this?" Daredevil inquired as I took out the ammo boxes and walked away from him until I stopped at the ledge and gazed out at the city.

"I'll do what's necessary," I replied coldly as I placed the ammo boxes down and went to get the gun case along with my thermos before I placed the gun case down took a sip from it as I resumed staring out at this shithole of a city.

"This another one of your missions? That's why we're here, isn't it? So, how many will this make? I'm guessing you've done this, what...ten, maybe twenty times? How long's it been? Six months, a year, or your whole life?

Something tells me you don't take breaks...you know, no one else has to die and you could stop now by walking away," Daredevil tried to reason while I kicked open the gun case and proceeded to assemble an M203 grenade launcher onto the M4A1 rifle until I heard the last part of what he said and shot him a look.

"Walk away? Could you do that, walk away?" I questioned with a steely glare and Daredevil didn't respond, which told me everything I needed to hear as I scoffed.

"Yeah, that's what I fucking thought," I said darkly as I picked up the rifle and started heading to the other crates just as a nearby church bell went off in the distance.

"What is that, midnight?" Daredevil inquired curiously as I placed the rifle down and opened the other crates.

"St. Michaels," I responded and I heard Daredevil chuckle slightly.

"You Christian?" Daredevil asked and I looked at him impassively.

"No," I said shortly and took out an M406 round before examining it for any problems.

"You from Zootopia?" Daredevil inquired as I started putting the grenade rounds in an ammo strap.

"Once," I replied and Daredevil chuckled as he moved slightly to get comfortable.

"Do you go to mass now?" Daredevil questioned and I felt irritation rise up as I scowled slightly.

"Stop," I warned quietly with hardened eyes as I looked up to glare at nothing in particular.

"Stop?" Daredevil inquired in confusion.

"Quit digging," I clarified coldly while I was focusing on checking the ammo and it became quiet for a short while.

"You know, a funny thing about where I come from...a few people are actually from New York and the ones who are, they don't leave and they can't because they feel like the city's a part of them, you know?

Until one day, something changes and maybe they get older until they have to leave, they have to get out so maybe they do it to see the world...kinda like the ones who live here. Maybe they enlist? Where'd they send you?" Daredevil questioned and I looked at him with an arched brow.

"What the hell are you, Red, some kind of fucking shrink? Come on, you must be something when you're not wearing those stupid long johns, right?" I inquired as I stared at him and Daredevil smiled.

"I'm just a guy," Daredevil admitted modestly and I huffed at that, not impressed at the slightest.

"Yeah? Let me ask you something, have you ever been to war?" I asked and Daredevil shook his head.

"No," Daredevil replied.

"Yeah...then don't talk about it," I warned as I went back to checking the ammo so that there were no signs of any of them malfunctioning.

"I've seen some fights," Daredevil said and I pursed my lips.

"Yeah, sure you have," I said sarcastically.

"Well, I almost had you beat," Daredevil remarked.

"You're talking about trading blows on a rooftop, Red, but I'm talking about shit, okay? Shit that you've never been in," I stated bitterly as I placed the strap in one of the crates.

"I know one thing," Daredevil said and I looked at him.

"What's that?" I inquired, letting him talk so that I could humor him.

"War changes people and sometimes, they see things they can't see before they come home to find out that home is not there anymore, that it changed or maybe they did," Daredevil pointed out and I simply stared at the crates with a haunted expression as I remembered that week of pure hell in Dubai.

"Yeah, fair enough," I muttered darkly as I went back to working on the ammo strap.

"I'm just saying, I know it can be hard," Daredevil told me and I clenched the strap as anger flared up slightly and I sent him a cold expression.

"Do you? Do you know it can be hard? You run around New York in a pair of little boy's pajamas and a mask, then you go home at night, right? Take that mask off, maybe you think...it wasn't you who did those things, maybe it was somebody else.

Here's what you need to understand because soldiers, we don't wear masks, yeah? We never get that fucking privilege," I snapped as I stood up, then I took my rifle and ammo strap as I walked past Daredevil.

"You know what I think?" Daredevil asked and I paused as I looked back at him.

"What's that?" I questioned before I continued walking to the ledge.

"You're still at war," Daredevil replied and I chuckled in disbelief.

"Oh, for fuck's sake...so, you charge by the hour, doc, or what?" I remarked dryly as I sat down and checked my rifle.

"Why am I here?" Daredevil inquired.

"Everything you do out in the streets of New York, Red, it doesn't work so did you know that?" I told him as I took out the mag and started filling it with rounds.

"Oh, and what you're doing in Zootopia is better?" Daredevil retorted.

"What I do, I do out of necessity," I replied with a glare, and Daredevil scoffed.

"Come on, you're not the only one, right? Who did you lose, huh? Was it someone you loved? Well, boo-hoo because let me tell you something, buddy, everybody's lost someone but it doesn't mean you have to do this," Daredevil lectured and I gritted my teeth while I felt enraged at what he said until I took a couple of deep breaths to calm down.

"Well, a loss doesn't work the same for everybody, Red," I snapped irritably and Daredevil laughed.

"Yeah, you have a point there because it's clearly not working for you," Daredevil remarked and I shot him a glare.

"Maybe not, but we don't get to pick the things that fix us Red, make us whole, and make us feel like we got a purpose. My moment of clarity, it came from the strangest of places...seriously, the hell kind of name is the Devil of Hell's Kitchen? I mean, really?" I questioned as I loaded my rifle with the fresh mag and saw Daredevil tense up slightly, telling me that his title was a sore subject for him.

"I didn't ask for that name..." Daredevil trailed off quietly.

"I'm sorry, I don't see you running from it," I said with an amused smirk.

"I don't do this to hurt people," Daredevil told me and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah? So what is that, just a job perk?" I inquired dryly and I could see Daredevil gritting his teeth slightly.

"I don't kill anyone," Daredevil retorted and I started feeling peeved at this asshole's holier-than-thou attitude as I placed my rifle down.

"Is that why you think you're better than me? Is that why you think you're a big hero?" I spat bitterly as I scowled at him.

"It doesn't matter what I think or what I am, people don't have to die," Daredevil argued and I huffed at that.

"Come on, Red, you seriously believe in that bullshit?!" I exclaimed angrily.

"I believe it's not my call and it isn't yours either," Daredevil stated.

"Let me ask you something...did somebody ask you to put on that costume or did you take it upon yourself? Do you know what I think of you, hero? I think you are a half-measure, somebody who can't finish the job and who is also a Goddamn coward.

Do you know the one thing that you just can't see? You know you're one bad day away from being me," I whispered menacingly after I headed over to him and knelt down right in front of him with a cold expression.

"Yeah," Daredevil muttered just before he added, "Someone's coming."

"Well, shit...guess I better make a run for it," I quipped dryly as I looked at him apathetically.

"Hey, don't hurt him," Daredevil pleaded and I sighed.

"Yeah? Let's hope that he doesn't give me a reason to," I stated just as I heard the door to the nearby stairwell open.

"What the hell is all that noise?! If it's those damn kids again, I swear I'm calling the cops!" a male voice called out while I stared at Daredevil.

"I'll only say this once Red, you make one sound and I'll open his head up all over this roof," I warned as I stood up and headed over to the stairwell until I could see a light shining out and I peered around to see an elderly male human with a flashlight just as I startled him and he dropped the flashlight as he jumped.

"Who the hell are you?" the man questioned suspiciously and I put up a pleasant front as he picked up the flashlight.

"Martin," I greeted with a smile and noticed the man looking at my burn scar for a second before he stared at me.

"What are you doing up here, Martin?" the man inquired and I looked around.

"Well, the truth is that I'm pretty sure this roof is the last patch of real estate in the entire Goddamn United States where a man can just have a little peace, just be by himself and have a smoke," I lied smoothly, using my talents as a former conman while the man studied me for a few seconds.

"Never seen you around before," the man pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm in just in town visiting my crazy sister," I said with a smirk.

"Betty in 2B?" the man asked and I chuckled.

"I see you've had the pleasure," I joked and the man rolled his eyes.

"Can't say I blame you because my wife's the same, made me quit a long time ago," the man stated and I nodded.

"Well, you know what they say, it's for our health," I remarked.

"What about the enjoyment of life?" the man questioned.

"Guess they'll worry about that when they're dead," I quipped morbidly and the sounds of chains rang out, causing me to curse inwardly as irritation flared up since I warned Daredevil not to try anything and he's struggling to get free anyway.

"What the fuck was that?" the man questioned in confusion as he tried to look in the direction of where the noise was coming from, then I shrugged as I subtly pulled out a revolver and placed the barrel against the door before slowly cocking it and the sound of Daredevil struggling came to a stop.

"Uh, it's probably one of those rats making noises since I invited him up here and he might be playing a joke or something," I lied as I listened carefully to make sure Daredevil didn't try anything.

"Yeah, some of them can be real assholes but I know a few that are decent fellas," the man stated with a smile.

"Well, my uncle was friends with one of them back in high school and he got recommended a job as a mechanic when he came home, something he could only get after the war...you know, the curse of a soldier," I said and the man nodded.

"Ain't that the damn truth," the man agreed and my interest peaked in the way that he said it.

"Yeah, you serve?" I inquired curiously and the man nodded.

"Nam, Third Marine Division," the man replied and I sent him an impressed look.

"The Fighting Third, huh?" I questioned.

"Goddamn right, you?" the man inquired.

"Yeah, did a few tours in Iraq and Afganistan until I was discharged, though you can probably see why," I responded as I gestured at my burn scar and the man sent me a sympathetic expression.

"I'm sorry to hear you went through that so welcome home," the man told me with a kind smile and I grinned.

"Thank you, sir," I said with a nod.

"I gotta go down right now but you smoke as much as you like, son," the man stated and I chuckled.

"Alright, thanks sir," I told him and he nodded as he went down the steps and I uncocked my revolver.

"Hey, Marine!" I called out and the man looked back.

"Yeah?" the man asked and I smirked.

"Semper Fi," I quoted and the man thumped his chest once before pointing at me with a grin and I chuckled as he continued his way back down the stairs.

After that, my smile went away and I slammed the door shut with a scowl before heading back to Daredevil and looked through a toolbox.

"Martin...that's your real name? Let me ask you something, do you get off on threatening innocent people?" Daredevil questioned and I shot him a nasty glare while my temper flared up.

"He was only in danger because you couldn't have the fucking sense to follow orders-" I started to scold and was cut off.

"You had a gun on him and cocked back the hammer," Daredevil interrupted and I scoffed as I went back to looking through the toolbox.

"Yeah? Well, that was meant for you, part of the show," I said and Daredevil laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Daredevil inquired and I sighed irritably as I took out a wrench and pursed my lips.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you, Red? Huh? Talk about disappointing so listen closely, okay?" I growled as I stood up and stormed over to him until I aimed my gun against his head.

"Yeah, you listening now? Do you feel that?" I demanded as I pressed the barrel against Daredevil's head and quit aiming at him while I breathed heavily with a slightly unhinged expression.

"I'm not the bad guy here, Red," I told him sternly.

"You wanna explain that to the orphans and widows of the people you killed?" Daredevil lectured and I laughed as I looked away and holstered my gun.

"For Christ's sake, that's what you think?" I'm just some fucking deranged asshole going around unloading on whoever I want to?" I questioned with a smile of disbelief.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I think," Daredevil stated as I headed to the nearby billboard and started climbing up the ladder.

"Is that it?" I spat darkly while I was climbing up the ladder.

"What, you think you're anything else?" Daredevil shot back as I got up to the billboard.

"I think that the people I kill need killing, that's what I think," I declared coldly.

"You carved up people and flayed them alive with a knife, that's what I heard!" Daredevil shouted in disgust.

"Well, they got off easy in my opinion," I retorted as I headed across the ledge.

"You shot up a hospital!" Daredevil exclaimed loudly.

"Yeah, and nobody who didn't deserve it got hurt," I pointed out dryly and Daredevil let out a noise of disbelief.

"Oh yeah? What about you, Martin? What happens when the day comes that someone decides you deserve it?" Daredevil questioned as I knelt down and started working on one of the lights that were shining on the billboard.

"I'll tell you what, they better not miss," I declared as I worked on the light.

"Come on, you run around in this city like it's your damn shooting gallery and you think you do-" Daredevil tried to protest before I quit working on the light and cut him off since I had enough.

"Yeah, what do you do?! What the fuck do you do?! You act like it's a playground in New York by beating the shit out of the bullies with your fists, you throw them in jail and everybody calls you a hero, right?!

Yeah, you do all that and in a month, a week, a day later, they're back out in the streets doing the same Goddamn thing and don't get me started with the cops in this city since they are even worse than the fuckers you helped put away in Rykers!" I yelled with an enraged expression.

"Yeah, so you just put them in the morgue!" Daredevil snapped while I clenched my wrench.

"You're Goddamn right I do," I snarled as I went back to work.

"You ever doubt yourself, Martin?" Daredevil questioned.

"Not even for a second," I retorted with a sour expression.

"Really? Really? You never think for one second, 'Shit, I just killed a human being or an animal'," Daredevil said as I finished with the light and headed back to the ladder.

"That's being pretty generous," I grumbled as I started climbing down the ladder.

"A human being or animal who did a lot of stupid shit, maybe even evil, but had one tiny piece of goodness in them...maybe just a scrap, Martin, but something and you come along before that one tiny flicker of light gets snuffed out forever," Daredevil continued as I climbed down the ladder and picked up a cinder block before I placed it down in front of him and sat down on it.

"You know what, I think you're wrong," I stated darkly.

"Which part?" Daredevil asked.

"All of it because I think there's no good in the filth I put down, that's what I think," I explained and Daredevil scoffed.

"And how do you know?" Daredevil questioned.

"You could call it a personal experience and look around you, Red, this city is rotten from the inside out by the filth and corruption that runs rampant without any repercussions so I think that in this fucked up world, it needs men that are willing to make the hard call!

You know what I think, I think that you and I are the same!" I shouted as Daredevil moved around stressfully.

"That's bullshit, Martin, and you know it!" Daredevil exclaimed in frustration but I ignored it.

"Only I do the one thing that you can't! You hit them and they get back up, I hit them and they stay down! That way, it's permanent and I make sure that they don't make it out on the street again while I take pride in that," I snapped viciously as I banged the wrench against the ground to empathize it.

"Let me ask you this," Daredevil said and I shot him a sharp expression.

"What's that?" I inquired.

"What about hope?" Daredevil asked and I scoffed.

"Oh, fuck...you seriously wanna talk about Santa Claus and bullshit like that?" I asked skeptically.

"I live in the real world too and I've seen it," Daredevil stated.

"Yeah? What have you seen?" I questioned with an angry glare.

"Redemption, Martin...it's real and it's possible so the people you murder deserve another chance," Daredevil reasoned.

"What, to kill or rape again? Is that what you really want?" I hissed with a scowl as I leered at him.

"No, to try again, Martin! To try and if you don't get that, then there's something so broken in you that you can't fix and you really are a nutjob," Daredevil stated and I froze up while I looked at him with widened eyes and stood up.

"What the hell did you just say to me?" I inquired softly as fury and rage rose up in me like liquid fire as I shot him an enraged expression.

"You're unhinged...Martin and you think God made you a one-man firing squad, but you're wrong because there is goodness in people, even in you and you're gonna have to kill me because I'm never going to stop coming for you until I take you down.

You want to know why?" Daredevil said and my face twitched slightly as I tried to keep calm.

"Why's that?" I asked darkly as I dared him to say something so that I could shut him up.

"Because you're insane," Daredevil declared and I hummed thoughtfully until I chuckled before I swung the wrench across his head and he was rendered unconscious from the nasty hit, then I breathed heavily as I struggled to calm down and not brain him on the spot for the insult.

"You don't know anything about me, you little shit...I think it's time you discovered an important lesson, one I learned the hard way," I muttered lividly as I dropped the wrench and headed to the stairwell so that I could go back out on the streets to locate my target.

* * *

Williams was busy working in his office late at night while signing paperwork about the failed operation to capture the Punisher, just as he heard someone walking to his office and looked up to see Karen looking at him as she stood outside his office.

"Late night?" Karen inquired and the male gazelle stared at her in confusion.

"What the hell are you doing here," Williams questioned suspiciously as he placed his pen down on the desk and Karen walked in with a displeased expression.

"Protecting our client, who is still out there alone," Karen reminded him as she stood in front of the desk, and Williams scoffed.

"You're talking about him like he's a...lost pup but Mr. Grote is a convicted criminal and lucky we gave him the time of day, so I'd forget about him if I were you," Williams lectured and Karen smiled bitterly.

"Listen, we promised to protect him and look how that turned out," Karen pointed out with a scowl, and Williams shrugged.

"Maybe you shouldn't have," Williams stated and went back to signing paperwork.

"Your boss said she could take down a firm like Nelson and Murdock pretty quickly," Karen said and Williams paused as he looked up and adjusted his glasses.

"She wasn't lying," Williams told her, and Karen hummed thoughtfully.

"So, she could also take down someone like you?" Karen questioned as she placed her purse down on the chair in front of the desk and opened it to take out a few files before reading what was in them.

"ADA Marcus Williams, you took the fall after Campbell mishandled informants in the, uh, Monroe case about a year ago...Machelle Warner got booted after she failed to quiet the Davidson Scandal and Luke Johnson, did you ever meet him? He was fired after the state supreme court disqualified your entire office from the Jamieson case due to 'widespread misconduct'...widespread but not everyone got fired since Campbell walked out in one piece.

From what I can see, she's good at throwing people under the bus so, sure, she can take down Nelson and Murdock this month, but how long will it be before you are getting pulled into the shit with the rest of us?" Karen pointed out as she placed the files down on the desk and Williams narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you seriously trying to scare me? I could have the ZPD in here and teach you why you shouldn't threaten an Assitant District Attorney," Williams warned and Karen nodded.

"Sure, you could not believe me and notify the police, but I am here to show you that you and Campbell are not on the same team," Karen reasoned and Williams chuckled as he gestured at the files.

"Where would you even find this shit?" Williams wondered in confusion.

"I want protection for Nelson and Murdock while the firm is here since they're small and won't survive getting thrown under the bus, not without your help because after what happened today, someone's going to crash and burn and I need to know that it won't be them," Karen pleaded and Williams sighed as he rested his elbows on the desk and leaned forward.

"What makes you think that I can help you, a human, even if I wanted to?" Williams inquired skeptically.

"You have information on the Punisher," Karen replied and Williams stared at her like she had two heads.

"That's classified," Williams refused firmly.

"Do I look like I'm going to post it on youtube? Your boss is threatening to disbar my friends and dismantle their law firm," Karen told him seriously and Williams shook his head.

"Yeah, my boss is a piece of work but how will the Punisher files, assuming they even exist, help you stop that from happening?" Williams questioned and Karen smiled.

"I'll let you know," Karen replied cryptically and Williams chuckled in disbelief.

"Unbelievable...so, you expect me to implicate the DA on purpose? You need to listen to me very carefully, you cannot come into my office, asking me to betray my boss, and throwing around allegations about this department you cannot substantiate so I'm going downstairs to get security or better yet, notify the ZPD about how there is a fucking human accusing the DA of corruption and you will never contact me again.

No emails, no phone calls, nothing," Williams retorted as he gathered the files and put them in a binder before standing up and heading over to Karen and handing them over until she took them with a sour expression.

"Goodnight, Miss Page," Williams said as he passed Karen and left his office, then Karen felt frustration while she bit her lip and her collar beeped yellow before she calmed down and headed out of the office.

* * *

After I had gotten back on the streets, I had managed to track down my target and found him trying to steal a car of all things, but I grabbed him, and he struggled to escape until my threat of slicing his abdomen open with a knife forced him into compliance and I brought him back to where Daredevil was at, then I restrained my target with zip-ties and shoved him to the ground before I took a revolver and duck-taped it to Daredevil's hand while leaving only one round in the chamber before I put on a kevlar vest.

After a short time, Daredevil stirred and regained consciousness as he groaned and shook his head with a wince until he appeared to notice the gun duck-taped to his hand and I could hear his breathing picking up slightly.

".357 revolver, one round in the chamber. Some things, they just...feel right in your hand, huh? I know what you're thinking Red, you could put a bullet in my arm or leg, but it's not going to work because my adrenaline is up and I'm used to experiencing agonizing pain so the only way you can stop me is by shooting me in the head," I told him stoically as I walked in front of him.

"I'm not going to shoot you," Daredevil stated firmly and I started to walk to my target.

"No, not yet you're not," I said as I headed into the stairwell and grabbed my target until I dragged him into the rooftop.

"Time to put a face to all your fancy talk about redemption," I grunted as I forced my target to move and threw him to the ground as I continued, "Elliot Grote, aka Grotto,"

"Oh God, I don't want to die," Grotto whimpered and a swift kick from me shut him up as I forced him onto his knees.

"What did you do to him?!" Daredevil demanded in outrage.

"I caught this piece of shit stealing a car, trying to skip town," I explained as Grotto looked up at me with frightened eyes.

"I'm sorry, I was scared and running for my life," Grotto said in complete terror and I sent him to the ground with a kick to the face.

"Shut your fucking mouth," I spat harshly as I glared down at him.

"Stop it, Martin! He doesn't deserve to die just because you caught him stealing cars!" Daredevil reasoned and I scoffed as I turned my attention to him.

"Is that what you think?" I questioned darkly.

"It's up to the law, not me and not you!" Daredevil scolded as he struggled to get loose, but the chains didn't budge as I looked at Grotto.

"Why don't you tell him a little bit about yourself," I said while Grotto flinched.

"Martin, you have no right to do this!" Daredevil shouted but I ignored him.

"I'm nothing, just a nobody," Grotto told me as he avoided eye contact.

"Oh yeah? Is that all?" I questioned with an unamused expression.

"Listen, I pour their drinks and drove their cars," Grotto pleaded but I was unmoved as I stared down at him apathetically.

"Well, you were doing a little more than that just a few months ago," I pointed out coldly before slamming a fist into his face, causing his head to snap to the side as he groaned in pain.

"What are you trying to prove, Martin?!" Daredevil called out but I ignored him.

"You're trying to step up," I accused and Grotto frantically shook his head.

"N-No," Grotto stammered fearfully.

"No? I doubt it," I stated while I leered at him.

"Who the fuck are-" Grotto tried to ask but I cut him off.

"Miller street, second floor...why don't you tell him what happened," I hissed as I hit him across the face again while he begged.

"Tell him, now," I growled menacingly before punching Grotto again.

"I'm not going to shoot you, Martin!" Daredevil yelled but I wasn't listening.

"Nothing happened, I'm sorry," Grotto sobbed and I had enough of his lying, just as I pulled out my revolver and cocked back the hammer before aiming at his head.

"I'm only going to ask you one more time and it better be the right answer or your brain matter will be splattered all over this roof," I threatened coldly as I pressed the barrel against Grotto's head while he yelped in pain.

"I didn't know, it was just an address! This guy, I didn't even know his name but h-he got wobbly with the wrong people and owed something to somebody because the order came from high up!" Grotto shouted in terror and I lowered the gun before grabbing him by his shirt collar just as his TAME collar went off and he convulsed from the agonizing shock as I lifted him up.

"Yeah? What orders?" I interrogated harshly as I hit him across the face with my gun.

"The kind that you can't say no to!" Grotto wheezed and I hit him again.

"Say the words! You say them, do you hear me?" I snarled as I gripped his chin.

"You don't know what kind of monsters these people are because you can't back out, you can't..." Grotto stuttered stressfully.

"Just shut up and stop talking, Grotto!" Daredevil exclaimed in frustration.

"You say it!" I yelled as I kept beating Grotto brutally and knocked him down on his side with a heavy strike, then I placed a foot on his neck and put pressure on it slightly as I aimed at him.

"I won't ask again so say the words, you fucking asshole!" I roared while Grotto was sobbing.

"Okay, I killed him, I killed him by putting two in his head! But, I swear to God-" Grotto started confessing and I broke his ribs by stomping on his chest once before he howled in agony.

"Look, I didn't know...I didn't know the old lady was in the house!" Grotto wheezed and Daredevil was rendered silent by what he said.

"What old lady? Oh God, what did you do?" Daredevil questioned in horror and Grotto whimpered.

"I didn't know she was in the house, she wasn't supposed to be in the house...shit, she just started screaming and I begged for her to stop," Grotto cried as his collar kept going off from his heart racing from the terror while I removed my foot from his chest.

"Grotto, what did you do?" Daredevil inquired.

"She saw my face and I had no choice..." Grotto trailed off and kept crying as I glared at him and looked at Daredevil.

"The old lady left a husband and the dead man had a wife and kids," I told him as Daredevil aimed the revolver at me but he didn't pull the trigger.

"You have to understand, I had to do it," Grotto whimpered while Daredevil lowered the gun and looked sick as I approached him.

"You still think this piece of shit is worth saving?" I questioned darkly and Daredevil shook his head.

"I'm not going to shoot him," Daredevil stated defiantly and I huffed.

"Yeah? Okay then," I said as I headed to Grotto and forced him up to his feet before I held him up with one arm and pressed the gun against his head.

"If you won't do it, then I will if you don't kill me first," I told him coldly and Daredevil started thrashing around with an enraged yell as he tried to get free.

"I'm losing my patience, Red!" I snapped after a short amount of time had passed by.

"Don't you dare shoot him!" Daredevil warned as he aimed at me again and lowered the gun.

"That's a bad idea because, you see, he'll kill again! You won't be able to live with that, can you Red?" I said menacingly while Grotto whimpered.

"Please, I'll leave the city and I won't come back-" Grotto pleaded but I cut him off.

"Shut your fucking mouth, now take the shot Red," I said to Daredevil as I let Grotto go and took a few steps away from him.

"Go to hell," Daredevil spat hatefully and I chuckled.

"Already been there," I remarked with a dark grin.

"Why are you doing this?!" Daredevil demanded.

"Because you need to understand that pieces of shit like him ruin people's lives," I replied bitterly.

"Listen, killing him is not going to bring anybody back," Daredevil reasoned and I nodded.

"No, but it will keep him from hurting anybody else," I agreed.

"No, I won't do it again, I swear," Grotto begged but I wasn't fazed by it.

"I'm going to count down so you either shoot me or I kill him! Five!" I counted as I cocked back the hammer of my revolver.

"Look, shoot him for the love of God!" Grotto pleaded to Daredevil but he didn't do it and I scowled at that.

"Four!" I exclaimed as Daredevil shook his head to try and placate me.

"Hey, I'm going to hand him over to the police myself and make sure he pays for what he's done, Martin!" Daredevil reasoned loudly.

"Three! Take the shot, Red, take the shot!" I yelled as I cocked back the hammer.

"No!" Daredevil refused.

"If you don't do it, then his death's on you so you're a killer either way," I told him as I leered at him and counted to two.

"What kind of choice is that?!" Daredevil screamed incredulously.

"The kind I make every time I pull the trigger, the kind I had to make years ago, and the kind I'm going to make right now!" I declared as I aimed at Grotto before he and Daredevil started screaming, then Daredevil unexpectedly aimed at the chains and shot one of them in half so that he could free himself.

I was taken off guard at first while Daredevil got up and charged at me with a battle cry while holding the chains, but I regained myself just in time and shot Grotto in the chest before I was spear tackled against the nearby ledge and received several blows to the face that caused me to spit out blood until I was rendered nearly unconscious just as Daredevil stopped and rushed over to Grotto so that he could check on him.

While Daredevil was busy trying to stop Grotto from bleeding out, I got up to my feet and stumbled over to my M4 rifle before I picked it up and loaded the launcher attachment with a round until I looked through the ACOG scope and flicked the safety off of the launcher just as I fired at the motorcycles below and was yanked to the ground by the chain that wrapped around my neck, then I quickly got up and bashed Daredevil with the rifle a few times before sending him crashing to the ground with a nasty strike to the face

After that, I walked over to the ledge and turned on the makeshift spotlight I had created and nearly blinded the bikers as I aimed my rifle at one of the members and steadied my breathing.

"One batch, two batch, penny and dime," I muttered as I got ready to fire.

Suddenly, I was clocked in the head by something hard and I spun around to see Daredevil charging at me before he used the chain to knock the rifle out of my hands and lasso me towards him by the neck, then Daredevil wrapped the rest of the chains around my neck and I snarled as he struggled to choke me from behind as we stumbled to the ledge and collided against it while I gasped for breath.

"You're done now, Red...they're coming for you, so the only way you get out of this is if you grow wings," I rasped through gritted teeth until my head was slammed against the ledge and I was rendered unconscious as everything went black.

* * *

Meanwhile, Karen had opened the files on the Punisher that she had taken from Williams' office and she had spread out the crime scene photos and paperwork all over the floor of her apartment's living room as she looked through the investigative reports and wrote down notes as she memorized them and was truly shocked at the brutality being displayed in the photos, wondering how someone was capable of something like this and she sighed as she grabbed a hospital file on someone named Martin Walker before opening it up.

When she pulled out what she thought was a report, she was taken aback when she saw that it was an x-ray of a skull with a hole the size of a gunshot and realization hit her as she figured out that she was seeing the Punisher's medical file before looking through it for any more information on who Martin Walker is.

* * *

I groaned as I regained consciousness and heard the sounds of a brawl while I opened my eyes, seeing that I was laying in an elevator and saw Daredevil fighting against a few gang members before I used the distraction to get up and quickly rush out of the entrance of the apartment building until I ran to my truck and quickly sped away from the scene as I heard sirens getting closer. Once I had gotten far enough away, I pulled to a stop in another neighborhood and examined my facial injuries in the review mirror with a scowl.

"Red...I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again," I muttered as I continued driving and headed to one of my safe houses since my apartment in the Happytown district is most likely compromised.

* * *

A/N Oh my God, I'm so sorry for not updating in months because I was dealing with writer's block, working on my other stories, and going through a few personal issues so I want to apologize for not updating in a while.

Anyway, you have gotten to see the iconic scene of the Punisher and Daredevil arguing about the moralities of vigilante justice and while they make a few good points, their ways of doing things are flawed since there are those who are capable of redemption if they work for it, but there are those who are unredeemable so that scene in the show makes you think who is right and who is wrong.

As for Martin being cruel, this is what I think he'll become if he has nothing left to lose or if he's finally pushed over the edge since he had seen horrors that can't be described and his family was the only thing keeping what's left of his sanity intact until he lost them and figures that he has nothing left to live for so he decides to do this suicidal war on crime in the hopes that he dies in the process.

So, let me know what you think about this chapter and stay tuned.


End file.
